'Gene desert' on chromosome 9 is hotspot for coronary artery disease risk

'Gene desert' on chromosome 9 is hotspot for coronary artery disease risk: "The discovery that a 'gene desert' on chromosome 9 was a hotspot for coronary artery disease risk was among the highlights of findings produced recently by genome-wide association studies, which compare the genomes of many people for genetic variations and have been broadly used in the past few years to study hundreds of diseases and complex traits. Gene deserts are large genomic segments devoid of genes. Now scientists have developed a novel approach to detect long-distance chromosomal interactions and have applied this method to the chromosome 9 gene desert, revealing that the association results from an altered inflammatory signaling response in individuals with increased CAD risk."